JPH0726716B2 - Automatic lubricator - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a lubricating device, and more particularly to automatically supplying a lubricant to a portion such as a bearing where the lubricant needs to be supplied, without using human hands. The present invention relates to an automatic lubrication device that can be used.

[Prior Art] Automatic lubricating devices are generally well known. Since the automatic lubrication device constantly supplies the lubricant to a portion such as a bearing that needs to be supplied with the lubricant, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to stop the entire device to supply the lubricant. That is, since the automatic lubrication device continuously supplies the lubricant, it is possible to save the trouble of planning which bearing should be supplied with the lubricant when and the trouble of supplying the lubricant according to the planned plan.

The gas pressure is mainly used to supply the lubricant. That is,
The chemical reaction generates gas to increase the pressure in the container, and the increased pressure pushes out the lubricant in the container to pass through the lubrication system to supply the lubricant to the bearing.

Further, such a lubricating device needs to be reliable and long-lasting.

A neoprene diaphragm or a rubber diaphragm is used in the conventional automatic lubricating device as described above. The diaphragm is stretched by the gas and presses the piston. The pressed piston moves to expel lubricant from the lubricant chamber.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the rubber diaphragm and the neoprene diaphragm have some drawbacks. Firstly, the response characteristics due to pressure and temperature are non-uniform, and secondly, the temperature resistance is poor, and in particular, the resistance to low temperatures is weak. Therefore, the characteristics of the diaphragm change considerably with changes in temperature.
The lubrication performance of the lubricator will be significantly affected by temperature.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a portion of the constituent parts of the lubrication device used for releasing the lubricant can withstand various temperature changes and various pressure changes and undergo a constant reaction. The automatic lubrication device that eliminates unstable response characteristics and can withstand various temperature changes and various pressure changes and can constantly supply lubricant by using parts that can show The purpose is to provide.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The automatic lubrication device of the present invention includes a lubricant chamber having a discharge port for discharging the internal lubricant, a gas generator for generating gas to generate pressure, and a pressure And a means for releasing the lubricant from the lubricant chamber by the action of, and the means for releasing the lubricant from the lubricant chamber under the action of the pressure is a bellows.

[Operation] In the present invention, the bellows formed of a material that exhibits constant characteristics withstanding various temperature changes and various pressure changes in the part used for releasing the lubricant in the constituent parts of the lubricating device. Is used, it is possible to eliminate all the unstable response characteristics described above.

[Embodiment] An embodiment of an automatic lubrication device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The accompanying drawings show the construction of the lubricating device of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view, FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing a base member described later, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. In particular, as shown in detail in FIG.
The lubricating device of the present invention includes a lubricant chamber 2, and the lubricant chamber 2 is provided with a discharge port 4 for discharging the lubricant. FIG. 3 shows the lubricating device in a non-actuated state. In this state, the discharge port 4 is closed by the plug 6. When using the lubrication device, the plug 6 is removed and the lubrication supply pipe is attached to the screw portion 8.

In this embodiment, a widely known gas generator is used to generate gas to generate pressure.
This gas generator comprises a reaction chamber 10. An anode 12 and a cathode 14 are provided in the reaction chamber 10. These electrodes are made of carbon fiber, for example. A battery 16 is provided to apply a voltage to the anode 12 and the cathode 14. The reaction chamber 10 is filled with a chemical composition that evolves a gas when a voltage is applied. Usually, the reaction chamber is packed with a sponge imbibed with the chemical composition to facilitate storage.

A plurality of resistors are provided between the battery 16 and the carbon fiber electrodes of the anode 12 and the cathode 14 as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. Resistors 18, 2
0, 22, 24, and 26 are attached to a printed circuit board 28, and the printed circuit board 28 is attached to a base member 30. Resistors 18 on the printed circuit board 28 ~
The 26 is, of course, connected to a copper printed circuit. The screw 32 functions as a switch. FIG. 3 shows that one of the screws 32 projects outward from the base member 30. The protruding screw has its head in contact with the printed circuit, and this contact connects a resistor to the circuit. The resistance values of the resistors 18 to 26 are predetermined as shown in FIG. The operating time of the automatic lubricator is written on the outside of the automatic lubricator (generally, the base member 30). That is, when the circuit is completed by turning any screw 32 (such as the leftmost screw in FIG. 3) to connect any one of the resistors 18-26 to the circuit, The lubricating device operates for a certain period of time and continues to discharge the lubricant from the lubricant chamber for a certain period of time.

The battery 16 is in contact with the conductor members 34 and 36, and power is supplied to the reaction chamber 10 via the printed circuit board 28. Conductor member
34 supplies power to the anode 12, and the conductor member 36 supplies power to the cathode 14 via a conductor 38 connected to the printed circuit board 28. The printed circuit board 28 described here is of conventional use and belongs to the prior art. Current flows through the metallic stud 40 to the reaction chamber 10. The stud 40 is insulated from the rest of the structure by an insulating member 42.

The automatic lubrication device is provided with means for discharging the lubricant from the lubricant chamber in response to the pressure generated by the gas. In the automatic lubrication system according to the present invention, the means for releasing the lubricant from the lubricant chamber in response to the pressure generated by the gas is a bellows 44, as most clearly shown in FIG. The bellows 44 is made of polyamide. Especially PEBAX
It is preferred to form the bellows with nylon available under the trademark. The bellows 44 is provided with a fold 46. The folds allow the bellows to expand and contract freely. One end 48 of the bellows is closed and a flange 50 is formed at the proximal end.

A piston 52 is also provided in the lubricant chamber 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the piston 52 is hermetically and slidably fitted in the lubricant chamber 2, and when gas is generated, the bellows 44 expands (see FIG. 3) to press the piston 52.

The automatic lubricating device of the present invention is provided with a retaining ring 54,
The lubricant chamber 2 is screwed onto the retaining ring 54 at 56. The base member 30 is sandwiched by a retaining ring 54 and a member 58. Element
A recess 60 for accommodating the reaction chamber 10 and the battery 16 is provided in 58. As shown in FIG. 2, the member 58 is composed of ribs 62 for beams. The bellows 44 is sandwiched between the inner flange 64 provided in the lubricant chamber 2 and the flat portion 66 of the member 58. By forming the flat portion 66 with the protrusion 67, the airtightness can be further improved. Base material 30
Is firmly fixed to the member 58 by the O-ring 68.

When the automatic lubrication device according to the present invention is used, a pipe for supplying a lubricant to a component such as a bearing which needs to be supplied with the lubricant is sandwiched by another structure and is provided in the screw portion 8. Can be installed. Next, the screw 32 is selected according to the operating time of the lubricating device, and the selected screw is pulled out like the screw 32 at the left end of FIG. The pulled-out screw 32 functions as a switch, and a circuit including the reaction chamber 10 is formed. When gas is generated in the reaction chamber 10, the bellows 44 expands and the piston
52 moves. Since the lubricant chamber 2 is filled with the lubricant, the movement of the piston 52 causes the lubricant in the lubricant chamber to be discharged from the discharge port 4.

Bellows 44 has various advantages over the prior art,
Especially, it has an advantage of showing consistent performance. That is, the bellows, which is one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4, exhibits consistent performance without being affected by ambient pressure or temperature. Bellows are not used in conventional devices. Used in conventional devices are neoprene and rubber devices, especially neoprene and rubber diaphragms. However, since the elastic characteristics of the diaphragm change considerably depending on the ambient pressure and the amount of stretching, the elongation curve of the conventional diaphragm is not uniform. Moreover, the thermoresponsive properties of rubber and neoprene are not desirable.
Extending rubber at relatively low temperatures requires considerable pressure. For example, the pressure required to stretch rubber at -40 ° C is not available with a lubricator of the type of the invention.

Nylon bellows does not break up to minus 94 ° C.
However, the rubber bellows breaks at minus 64 ° C. Therefore, the lubrication device based on the present invention is reliable and long lasting. For example, the lubrication device according to the present invention can continue to supply lubricant to the bearings for three years. Therefore, it is very suitable when used in a place where the lubricant cannot be manually supplied.

Although various circuits can be used in the device according to the invention, the base member is shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8.
An example of a circuit incorporated into a printed circuit board 28 mounted on 30 is shown. The circuit of FIG. 5 is the simplest and uses a 3 volt power supply. 2 as a power source
Book AA (AA size) battery 16 is mounted in the recess. A light emitting diode 70 is arranged in series with a resistor 72 and a transistor 74. A second transistor 76 is connected in series with the first transistor 74 and an emitter 78 is connected to line 80.

The resistors 82, 84 and 86 are connected in series with the third transistor 88. The reaction chamber 10 for causing an electrochemical reaction is constructed as shown in FIG. The power supplied to the reaction chamber 10 is controlled by resistors 18-26. Each of these resistors is selected by a respective switch 32. An electric current is applied to the reaction chamber 10 which causes an electrochemical reaction, and the reaction period in the reaction chamber, that is, the gas generation period, is determined by which of the switches 32 is closed. The light emitting diode 70 indicates whether or not current is flowing in the circuit, that is, whether or not the automatic lubrication device is operating.

FIG. 6 is different from FIG. 5 in that a pressure sensor 90 that changes the current according to the ambient pressure is provided. The shunt 92 changes the flow rate of the current flowing into the reaction chamber 10 according to the sensed ambient pressure, thereby changing the supply of lubricant. When the ambient pressure rises, it is necessary to increase the volume of gas generated in the reaction chamber by an extra amount to raise the pressure in the reaction chamber.

FIG. 7 shows a circuit in which the circuits shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are further complicated. In the circuit of FIG. 7, the pressure sensor 90 can shunt whatever timing circuit is selected. Each of the resistors 18-26 shown in FIG. 7 indicates the period of operation of the automatic lubricator.

Also in this circuit, a power source 16 is connected to the reaction chamber 10 which causes an electrochemical reaction. AA batteries connected in series are used as the power source. The resistor 94 is connected to the reaction chamber 10 in series. Resistor 100 and transistor 102 are connected to shunt 98 of transistor 96. The transistor 102 is connected in series with the capacitor 104. The light emitting diode 106 is connected in parallel with the resistor 108, but is connected in series with the resistor 110. The capacitor 112 is connected in series with the resistor 110. Transistor 114 is connected in series with resistor 116 and transistor 118.
Resistor 120 is the equivalent of resistor 84 in the circuit of FIG.
Transistor 118 is connected in series with resistor 122.

FIG. 8 schematically shows a circuit for supplying power from the external power supply 124 to the circuit of the automatic lubrication device by using a transformer. As the external power supply 124, for example, a vehicle battery can be used. In this case, the automatic lubricator is mounted on the vehicle. The circuit of FIG. 8 includes a socket 126, a resistor 128, and a switch 130, which is typically mounted on the vehicle instrument panel.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic lubricant device capable of withstanding various temperature changes and various pressure changes and constantly supplying a lubricant. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic lubrication device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the automatic lubrication device with a base member removed, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of a bellows used in the automatic lubrication device of the present invention,
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a circuit for controlling the automatic lubrication apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a modified circuit of the circuit of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a further modified circuit of FIG. And FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a simple circuit using an external power supply. 2 ... Lubricant chamber, 10 ... Reaction chamber, 30 ... Base member, 44 ...
... Bellows

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A base member, a lubricant chamber for accommodating a lubricant and having a lubricant discharge port for discharging the lubricant, the lubricant chamber being separably attached to the base member, and a gas when a voltage is applied. A reaction chamber housed in the base member, containing a chemical mixture capable of generating a gas, and having a gas outlet for releasing the generated gas, and for applying a voltage to the reaction chamber. A power source, at least one resistor provided in the base member, a switch for allowing connection of the at least one resistor to the power source, and controlling a voltage applied to the reaction chamber by the power source, A hollow bellows, which is attached between the reaction chamber and the lubricant chamber and communicates with the gas discharge port of the reaction chamber, is provided, and the gas released by the controlled generation of gas is the gas of the reaction chamber. Above the outlet An automatic lubrication device, characterized in that the bellows is moved into the bellows, the bellows is extended, and the lubricant is pushed out from the lubricant discharge port of the lubricant chamber. 2. The lubricant is discharged from the lubricant discharge port when a piston in contact with the lubricant in the lubricant chamber is pressed and moved by the bellows. The automatic lubrication device according to claim 1. 3. The automatic lubricating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a voltage is applied between the anode and the cathode in the reaction chamber, and the anode and the cathode are carbon fibers. 4. The automatic lubrication device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage is supplied by a dry battery. 5. A plurality of sets of resistors and switches are provided between the dry cells and the reaction chamber, and the set of resistors and switches is applied to the reaction chamber. The automatic lubrication device according to claim 4, wherein the generated voltage is controlled by variously changing the generated voltage. 6. The automatic lubrication device according to claim 1, wherein the bellows is made of polyamide. 7. The automatic lubrication device according to claim 6, wherein the bellows has a flange at the base end, and the flange is attached to the gas generator. 8. A flange is provided at each of facing portions of the reaction chamber and the lubricant chamber, and a peripheral flange provided at a base end of the bellows is formed by the reaction chamber flange and the lubricant chamber flange. The automatic lubrication device according to claim 1, wherein the automatic lubrication device is sandwiched. 9. The automatic lubrication device according to claim 1, further comprising a circuit for obtaining pulsed electric power from a power supply. 10. The automatic lubrication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a circuit for compensating for a change in ambient pressure. 11. The automatic lubrication device according to claim 1, further comprising a circuit that enables an external power source to be used.